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Sunday, October 2, 2016

On Monday, September 26, 2016 Daniel Richard passed away. He was 60 years old and lived in Bethpage Tennessee.

To snufftakers, he will always be known as Chef Daniel, and his loss will be felt for years to come. First and foremost, Chef Daniel was a gentleman. He always comported himself with class and generosity, and though many of us never got to meet him in person, many of us hoped to one day do so. With his passing, we will never get this chance and we are poorer for it.

Whether he was posting about his latest creation, sharing some obscure tobacco lore, or musing about his beloved guard-kitty, Chloe...he always managed to share, or educate, or bring a smile to your face.

Chef Daniel was also an artist. He created snuffs the likes of which have never been seen, and will never be seen again. His creations were in a category all their own. The patience, time, and knowledge he brought to snuffmaking produced artisan snuffs that surpassed all other snuffs in quality and enjoyment. Do not mistake this for hyperbole. I mean this quite literally.

We have a memorial page on the Modern Snuff website that talks about Chef Daniel's philosophy as a snuff-maker, shares some details about the pain-staking process of making one of his snuffs, and features a complete list of all the snuffs that Chef Daniel offered from Old Mill Artisan Snuff, along with his beautiful descriptions of those snuffs.

Some folks swear by the pinch. They get to feel the snuff. Warm the snuff between their fingers. Break it up as they snuff it, as they rub their fingers together. And they get to place the snuff where they would like. Its also convenient pinching your snuff...no tools other than your fingers needed.

Other folks swear by the spoon. A few snuff off the spoon itself, but most spoon it onto the back of their hand. It feels like you can take bigger doses off the the back of your hand, and with practice you can place the snuff where you want in your nose and vary the strength of your draw.

I think the longer you take snuff, the more likely you are to vary your technique depending on your situation. I work in small engine repair, and my hands get dirty. So sometimes that makes my decision for me, as to how to take my snuff. Sometimes I'm taking my snuff on the run, and a pinch is all I can manage. Its fast, simple, and get the job done. But, if I'm sitting around at home, I'd rather take a large amount off the back of my hand. That's what I'm doing today as I write this.

Anyway...the whole point of my post, is don't get stuck in one method. Keep trying different things, and be willing to vary how you take snuff depending on your situation, and what you want from the snuff at the time.